Bones Rum Cruz Bay Location Closes

Bones Rum. Those two words always seem to get a strong reaction on Facebook. Every time I post a photo of a bottle of Bones Rum people from all over the world get excited and leave a ton comments about how much they love the pirate fire water. Count me as a fan as well, especially upon learning and meeting the new owners whom hale from great state of Kansas.

I recently heard from Castaway Lorrie that the Bones Rum location in Cruz Bay, St. John closed. First thing I did was check my go-to St. John resource, on-stjohn.com to learn more about the closing. Sure enough they had a story confirming the St. John Bones Rum store indeed closed its doors. (Above photo from On-StJohn.com)

I contacted Wayne, owner of Bones Rum along with his wife Cara, to find out more about the closing. I new that the rum brand had a strong following, so I had to find out why on Earth would they would close a great location like the store next to the Cruz Bay ferry dock.

Here’s what Wayne had to say…

“The real reason we moved out is simply the lease was a horrible lease and Matt (the previous owner of Bones Rum) did the lease. The lease in St Thomas is not good either and I have gotten it straighten up so far. I did try to work out something with the St. John property but it didn’t work out. Like I told the land lord, a lease or any agreement has to be good for both parties and it cant be one sided. They wanted a one sided agreement and it just didn’t work. Matt did this lease and was paying for the building’s maintenance, taxes, and insurance on the building which was prorated for the space. I ask the owners several times to give me an offer on the building and that Cara and I would purchase the building and the owners would not do this. In fact I tried about 5-6 times and they kept saying no.”

Wayne said that business is booming and that they have a lot of big things coming up, which I’m excited to tell you guys about soon. It’s just sad that greed and island politics had to get in the way of something that so many people love.

Bones Rum will continue to reside at its St. Thomas location on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront. Wayne is currently working with real estate agents on St. John and if he can find a good building to purchase he will.

In the mean time, stop by the Bones Rum St. Thomas location and grab a bottle or three. Trust me, the home stash disappears quickly! I’ll keep all you Bones Rum lovers informed as I hear more.

Comments

For us whom reside here in the USVI it is a known fact that the buildings in and around Cruz Bay are owned by “old” families well entrenched for generations here and very few at that, in otherwords, a handful of families own most everyt’ing in Cruz bay. With property values shyrocketing over the past 10 years, especially on St John, which has become the #1 destination to visit as well as live in the Caribbean, even though adjusted recently by the USVI Government, these property taxes are absorbent and basically unaffordable for these families whom have lived all their lives on St John for generations. Combine that fact with the shrunken job market since the worldwide economic crisis kicked it in 2007(we are not immune to what all of you have experienced Stateside over the past 8 years or so)these properties are for many families their only source of income and need to pay taxes, bills and provide for not only their rental properties, but their homesteads and families in general. So what may appear as “greed” might just be “reality.”Also, this store was in what might have been and still is Cruz Bay’s best location, and we all know that a store owners success depends on “location,location,location”, it’s the first t’ing you see disembarking the ferry and you wait right there when returning and waiting to load on to the ferry. Prime real estate! Unfortunately this difficult challenge has pushed out a popular stop for tourist and locals alike on the Cruz Bay ferry terminal dock, but the fact of the matter is, with high season dead ahead, the landlord will fill that closed space quickly , and maybe with an even more adsorbent lease than Bones Rum inherited . We all hope the rebirth of the Bones Rum store resurfaces in Cruz Bay soon, but buying property from these long entrenched families is not likely, as it would be like them selling the family farm, as they will pass these buildings and property down to their kids as it was passed to them by their parents and grandparents. Life in the little latitudes still has family pride and culture near the top of the priority list and these traditions never involve selling out your kids and grandkids. Old school bonds are still alive and well in the Caribbean and St John is the Jewel of ‘de islands mon’….please visit with a smile, enjoy our sun and our rum, and leave only your footprints….Peace
Jeff Howard…..Founder and President of the WAYTOOMUCHFUNCLUB

I recently got me 2 bottle of this Rum… I Remember seeing the Store in St. Thomas when I was in High School and use to Simply walk right pass it lol If I had known that this place Sells Rum along with there other Tourist Merchandise (Hats, Shirts, Umbrella ect) I would have Totally been Stalking this Place from the Age of 18-21 trying to get in for a Bottle lol… Sad to hear it didn’t make it on St. John ( Which is also Strange seeing how this place gets Great amount of Tourist) But when Rent or Production Cost are to High and your Flow of Business is So-So, something has to give… Hopefully the one on St. Thomas sticks round, I’m good for Buying 2 Bottles Yearly (If I was Home still it would’ve been Monthly lol)

About RumShopRyan

Why I Write
Close your eyes and remove yourself from the everyday. Picture your toes sinking into the sand as the waves kiss your ankles. It's a serene feeling that everyone should experience. I live a little bit of that life, living on the coast of southwest Florida and escaping to Caribbean to find adventure and inspiration whenever possible. If you have a love of the Caribbean and the island lifestyle then you have come to the right place. It's my passion to share the beauty of the island with … Read More